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Olympia...Secretary of State Sam Reed announced today the Washington State Digital Archives - a program that saves critical, electronic history from extinction – has been selected as one of five public institutions world-wide to participate in an international study.

The Digital Archives is one of two case studies to be conducted in the United States. Three other public institutions will be studied world-wide including two in Europe and one in Canada.

Researchers are examining government entities which have made highly effective investments in the area of information-technology.

The goal of the case study is to produce an in-depth report for government around the world. This report, through five case studies, will asses how information-technology impacts the efficiency and conduct of government programs.

As a model, the Digital Archives will help demonstrate to the public sector the best and most efficient technology investments and the key steps to making a wise information-technology investment.

The research initiative is funded by SAP, one of the global leaders in the business software solutions industry. SAP and the Center for Technology in Government at the University of New York at Albany are working in participation with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Center for Technology in Government at the University of New York at Albany, the graduate school for public administration at Mexico's Tecnológico de Monterrey and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland.

The Washington State Digital Archives preserves a wide range of original electronic records and digitized paper records from birth, marriage, death, census, military, institutional and naturalization records, to legal and historic records such as the State Constitution and the first election results in the Washington Territory. The Office of Secretary of State opened the doors to the Digital Archives in October of 2004. For more information visit www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/ .

SAP for Public Sector provides comprehensive solutions to help governments and public organizations improve economic viability and increase process efficiency and transparency while better serving the needs of the public. With more than 1,050 customers in 70 countries, SAP is the leading provider of enterprise business solutions to the public sector. For more information visit www.sap.com/publicsector/

The Center for Technology in Government is an applied research center devoted to improving government and public services through policy, management, and technology innovation. The Center, located at the University of Albany, works with government to develop well-informed information strategies that foster innovation and enhances the quality and coordination of public services. For more information visit www.ctg.albany.edu .